A5067051543- Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Plant responses to elevated CO2
- Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance
- Light effects on plants
- Plant nutrient uptake and metabolism
- Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
- Greenhouse Technology and Climate Control
- Crop Yield and Soil Fertility
- Plant Diversity and Evolution
- Wood Treatment and Properties
- Plant Molecular Biology Research
- Algal biology and biofuel production
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction
- Plant responses to water stress
- ATP Synthase and ATPases Research
- Climate change impacts on agriculture
- Ecology and Conservation Studies
- Forest ecology and management
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Plant Gene Expression Analysis
- Seed Germination and Physiology
- Bioenergy crop production and management
- Plant Reproductive Biology
Australian National University
2018-2025
University College Dublin
2023-2025
University of Perugia
2024-2025
Universitat de les Illes Balears
2018-2025
Australian Research Council
2021
University of Sheffield
2014-2019
Trees and Timber Institute
2017-2019
National Research Council
2017-2019
University of Florence
2010-2014
University of Cambridge
2012-2014
The C4 photosynthesis carbon-concentrating mechanism in maize (Zea mays) has two CO2 delivery pathways to the bundle sheath (BS; via malate or aspartate), and rates of phosphoglyceric acid reduction, starch synthesis, phosphoenolpyruvate regeneration also vary between BS mesophyll (M) cells. theoretical partitioning ATP supply M cells was derived for these metabolic activities from simulated profiles light penetration across a leaf, with potential 3-fold difference fraction produced relative...
C4 plants have a biochemical carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM) that increases CO2 concentration around ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase (Rubisco) in the bundle sheath (BS). Under limiting light, activity of CCM generally decreases, causing an increase leakiness, (Φ), ratio retrodiffusing from BS relative to carboxylation processes. Maize were grown under high and low light regimes (respectively HL, 600 versus LL, 100 μE m(-2) s(-1) ). Short-term acclimation Φ was compared...
Summary The pattern of cell division, growth and separation during leaf development determines the volume airspace in a leaf. resulting balance cellular material is expected to significantly influence primary function leaf, photosynthesis, yet manner degree which division patterns affect networks photosynthesis remains largely unexplored. In this paper we investigate relationship size patterning, by promoting repressing expression cycle genes mesophyll. Using micro CT imaging quantify...
C4 plants have a biochemical carbon-concentrating mechanism that increases CO2 concentration around Rubisco in the bundle sheath. Under low light, activity of generally decreases, associated with an increase leakiness (ϕ), ratio retrodiffusing from sheath relative to carboxylation. This ϕ had been theoretically decrease operating efficiency (expressed as ATP cost gross assimilation, ATP/GA) under light and, because proportion canopy photosynthesis is carried out by shaded leaves, potential...
This work aims at developing an adequate theoretical basis for comparing assimilation of the ancestral C3 pathway with CO2 concentrating mechanisms (CCM) that have evolved to reduce photorespiratory yield losses. We present a novel model , C2 + C4 and photosynthesis simulating assimilatory metabolism, energetics metabolite traffic leaf level. It integrates mechanistic description light reactions simulate ATP NADPH production, variable engagement cyclic electron flow. The analytical solutions...
Leaf-level gas exchange data support the mechanistic understanding of plant fluxes carbon and water. These inform our ecosystem function, are an important constraint on parameterization terrestrial biosphere models, necessary to understand response plants global environmental change, integral efforts improve crop production. Collection these using analyzers can be both technically challenging time consuming, individual studies generally focus a small range species, restricted periods, or...
Summary The high productive potential, heat resilience, and greater water use efficiency of C 4 over 3 plants attract considerable interest in the face global warming increasing population, but are often sensitive to dehydration, questioning feasibility their wider adoption. To resolve primary effect dehydration from slower secondary leaf responses originating within leaves combat stress, we conducted an innovative experiment. Four crops grown hydroponics were forced a rapid yet controlled...
Abstract The repeated emergence of NADP–malic enzyme (ME), NAD–ME and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) subtypes C 4 photosynthesis are iconic examples convergent evolution, which suggests that these biochemistries do not randomly assemble, but instead specific adaptations resulting from unknown evolutionary drivers. Theoretical studies based on the classic biochemical understanding have repeatedly proposed light‐use efficiency as a possible benefit PEPCK subtype. However, quantum...
Large-scale research programmes seeking to characterize the C4 pathway have a requirement for simple, high throughput screen that quantifies photorespiratory activity in C3 and model systems. At present, approaches rely on model-fitting assimilatory responses (A/Ci curves, PSII quantum yield) or real-time carbon isotope discrimination, which are complicated time-consuming. Here we present method, associated theory, determine effectiveness of carboxylation, concentration mechanism (CCM) by...
Summary In C 4 photosynthesis CO 2 assimilation and reduction are typically coordinated across mesophyll (M) bundle sheath ( BS ) cells, respectively. This system consequently requires sufficient light to reach generate enough ATP allow ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate (Ru BP regeneration in . Leaf anatomy influences penetration therefore constrains cycle functionality. Using an absorption scattering model (coded Excel, freely downloadable) we simulate profiles rates of production the 3 , –C...
Plant leaves grow and change their orientation as well emission of chlorophyll fluorescence in time. All these dynamic plant properties can be semi-automatically monitored by a 3D imaging system that generates models the method coded light illumination, computer reconstruction. Here, we describe essentials method, hardware. We show technique reconstruct, with high fidelity, leaf size, angle height. The fails wilted plants when overlap obscuring true area. This effect, naturally, also...
C4 photosynthesis is a biochemical pathway that operates across mesophyll and bundle sheath (BS) cells to increase CO2 concentration at the site of fixation. plants benefit from high irradiance but their efficiency decreases under shade, causing loss productivity in crop canopies. We investigated shade acclimation responses Setaria viridis, model monocot NADP-dependent malic enzyme subtype, focussing on cell-specific electron transport capacity. Plants grown low light (LL) maintained...
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SUMMARY When C 4 leaves are exposed to low light, the CO 2 concentration in bundle sheath (BS) cells decreases, causing an increase photorespiration relative assimilation, and a consequent reduction biochemical efficiency. These effects can be mitigated by complex acclimation syndromes, which of primary importance for crop productivity but not well studied. We unveil strategy involving coordination electron transport processes. First, we characterize anatomy, gas exchange Setaria viridis...
Starch is the most important long-term reserve in trees, and analysis of starch therefore useful source physiological information. Currently published protocols for wood impose several limitations, such as long procedures a neutralization step. The high-throughput standard food feed represent valuable alternative. However, they have not been optimised or tested with woody samples. These particular chemical structural characteristics, including presence interfering secondary metabolites, low...
The goal of suppressing photorespiration in crops to maximize assimilation and yield is stimulating considerable interest among researchers looking bioengineer carbon-concentrating mechanisms into C3 plants. However, detailed quantification the biochemical activities bundle sheath lacking. This work presents a general stoichiometric model for C3, C2, C2+C4, C4 (SMA) which energetics, metabolite traffic, different decarboxylating enzymes (NAD-dependent malic enzyme, NADP-dependent or...
By the year 2100, atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]a) could reach 800 ppm, having risen from ~200 ppm since Neogene, beginning ~24 Myr ago. Changing [CO2]a affects plant carbon-water balance, with implications for growth, drought tolerance and vegetation shifts. The evolution of C4 photosynthesis improved hydraulic function under low preluded establishment savannahs, characterized by rapid transitions between open C4-dominated grassland scattered trees closed forest. Understanding...